It seems it has become the norm to announce that there is yet another brand joining the South African market, and without wasting more time, we introduce another new but not-so-new contender in the form of Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), a leading Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer that aims to re-establish their place in the commercial, SUV, and bakkie segments.
This reintroduction is made possible through collaboration with Salvador Caetano Auto South Africa, a subsidiary of the global Salvador Caetano Auto Group, known for distributing and holding dealer spaces for brands.
A brief look into the group suggests that their portfolio encompasses more than 100 companies involved in vehicle manufacturing (including automobiles, buses, and aeronautics), automotive distribution, mobility solutions, industrial equipment, and comprehensive aftermarket services. The Group operates in more than 41 countries across Europe, South America, and Africa, employing over 7,000 professionals.
So back to the car: JMC was in South Africa before, but there hasn’t been any movement in the market, as reported by IOL Motoring. However, the brand is now back with solid backing and hopes to win the hearts of South Africans.
JMC will introduce a new and improved lineup that includes the Vigus pickup, which will be offered in both single and double cab variants. This vehicle is a Bakkie that the brand describes as “hardworking professionals who demand toughness and comfort in equal measure.” JMC will introduce the current Vigus in 2025.
Joining the Vigus will be the Grand Avenue SUV which isn’t a SUV?.. But instead it is another Bakkie because that is what JMC has set up to offer exclusively to our Bakkie loving consumers. The Grand Avenue is a more capable offering that is able to carry families and cargo alike whilst allowing for off-road travel to be light work.
Lastly, there is a commercial vehicle in the JMC Carrying-Plus, which is a truck designed to handle heavy-duty tasks and sort out your logistical business affairs. The collaboration with the Salvador Caetano Auto Group is set to reintroduce and revitalize the JMC brand in South Africa, ensuring the availability of parts, local service support, and a range of commercial vehicles tailored for local businesses-from agriculture and logistics to construction and small enterprise mobility.
What we know in terms of power plants is that JMC uses Ford engines to power their vehicles. From outgoing models in other markets , we learned that the cars are often powered by one of two engines : a detuned petrol engine version of Ford’s turbocharged 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost unit, which in JMC guise offers 180 kW and 400 Nm through either a Getrag (MT82) 6-speed manual gearbox or a ZF-supplied 8-speed automatic transmission.
There’s also a 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel motor that JMC describes as the 5th generation of Ford’s “Puma” engine series, which outputs 130 kW and 400 Nm for the manual model and 450 Nm for the self-shifting version.
Specifics like pricing is not yet known but more information should release close to launch timing which should be late this year or early 2026.